Hyderabad, Sep 13 (FN Representative) Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday said from the next year in the Budget the state government is contemplating to allocate not less than Rs 20,000 crore for the Dalit Bandhu scheme in the state. With this, every year two-lakh Dalit families will get benefit from the scheme and if situation is favourable, more funds will be allocated for the scheme, Mr Rao said at a high-level preparatory meeting on Dalit Bandhu Scheme implementation took place at Pragathi Bhavan here. From the day Telangana State was formed welfare schemes were implemented like Rythu Bandhu, which Dalits never opposed. But they wanted schemes for their welfare and development. With the same spirit other communities should support the Dalit Bandhu Scheme, he said.
The CM said Telangana Dalit Bandhu is a unique programme, which no one ever did in the past and we are the designers and implementers of the programme. By making the scheme successful, we will become the ones who laid new tracks for the development of Dalits, he said. He said that he had made this clear to people in 1996 and made the second phase of Telangana movement a success. The same people’s movement spirit will be continued for the implementation of Dalit Bandhu. Funds for the scheme will be allocated in the Budget in a phased manner and achieved success in a phased manner, he said that the Dalit Bandhu was formulated in the Legislative Assembly and announced Rs 1000 Crore for the Dalit empowerment. The Dalit Bandhu Scheme was formulated after a series of discussions with all the political parties and the elders among the Dalits, he said. Mr .Rao made it clear that Telangana Dalit Bandhu Pilot project is being implemented in four corners of the state to make it successful keeping in view the sentiments of Dalits, their financial needs, and their actual situation.
He reiterated that Dalit Bandhu Scheme is being implemented with a higher ambition and social responsibility to develop Dalits economically, make them businessmen and to break the social and economic discrimination against them, which was in vogue for decades. The scheme is also aimed with fixed objectives. The CM said that the Telangana Dalit Bandhu is being implemented as a pilot project in Chintakani Mandal ( Madhira Assembly Segment in the east), Tirmalgiri Mandal (in Tungaturthy Assembly segment in the North), Charagondu Mandal (Achampet Kaluwakurty Segments) in the west Nizam Sagar Mandal in Jukkal segment along with Vasala Marri ( adopted village by CM) and Huzurabad. He said that funds were released as promised for Vasala Marri and Huzurabad. The CM announced that funds would be released for the four Mandals in four districts in a phased manner. He has instructed the officials in the four mandals to shift to the villages.